Author: Charlie Garrett

Saturday, 30 November 2019

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 1 Peter 4:1

The words “for us” are not in all Greek manuscripts and are debatable, but the point is made either way – Christ suffered, and His suffering was not for His own misdeeds, but for those of others. Peter notes that Christ’s suffering was “in the flesh.”

The word “flesh” is generally a negative word, signifying the carnal moral nature. But this is not always the case. It simply speaks of the physical body of humans which – because we are fallen – is closely connected with the fallen morality which accompanies the physical flesh. In the case of Christ, no negative undertones are implied. It simply means that He suffered in His physical human body.

This thought was especially highlighted in verse 3:18 –

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

Based on this, Peter now says, “arm yourselves also with the same mind.” The word Peter uses, and which is translated as “arm yourselves,” is found only here, but it conveys an idea which is seen in Paul’s writings several times. The idea is that believers are to carry the same purposeful intent as Christ did. Just as He was willing to suffer in order to bring about a good end, so should we willfully intend to do likewise.

With that expressed, Peter then explains why this should be the case. It is because “he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” Peter’s notion of Christ having suffered is inclusive of His death. Because of this, his words mirror the thought of Paul in Romans 6 –

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:5, 6

Because Christ suffered (inclusive of His death), and because that suffering and death was on our behalf, we have died with Christ. He has freed us from this body of death and given us freedom to live for God. This is a theological truth which lives in us right now. We died with Christ, and thus law has no mastery over us. Paul says that it is by law that we have a knowledge of sin. But we are no longer under law; we are under grace. As this is true, we are free to be obedient to a new Master, the Lord. As Albert Barnes says of this, “…there is such a union between Christ and the believer that his death on the cross secured the death of the believer to the world.”

As this is so, we are to arm ourselves with that same mind, being resolute in our intent to live as Christ lived. His suffering for us is to lead to our obedience to living for Him.

Life application:  Some of the points which were made in the previous chapter have led us to where we are now in Chapter 4. A quick synopsis of them will help remind us of what led us to this point –

1) We are to be compassionate towards, and good to, others. We are to bless them even when they persecute us.
2) This will bring a blessing upon us because the Lord is attentive to the righteous deeds of His people.
3) We are to give a defense of why we have the sure hope of our faith, but we are to do it in a gentle and meek way.
4) Through our display, and especially when it involves suffering, those who persecute us will be ashamed.
5) This pattern was set by Christ at the cross and is what brought us to God; this pattern worked in us and can be expected to have the same result in others.
6) This was seen in Noah before the flood – to a world abounding in wickedness – in order to make known the righteousness of God. So, we in this wicked world have the same pattern to follow.
7) Despite our actions, only a few may be saved – just as only eight came through the flood – but those eight became the type of how we also are saved and brought to righteousness, sealed with the Holy Spirit in baptism.
8) The resurrection is our assurance that we are on the right path and that we have the power of Christ behind us.

Because of all this, we should “arm ourselves with the same mind” as Christ. He suffered in His flesh to save us from sin. Arming ourselves with this mind is to act in the same way, even in suffering, to bring others out of sin. By failing to do this, our actions indicate that we feel others are less deserving of what was of infinite value to us. Let us never make that error, but instead let us hold others, even those who persecute us, with the same high value as God did when He sent Jesus to call them to righteousness.

Lord, it certainly is hard to look at the world around us and not feel angry at the sin and perversion going on. But we too once walked in that way so let us not forget the depths from which we were called. You saved us despite our actions, and You can save them as well. May You use our faithful testimony to bring others to righteousness. Amen.

Friday, 29 November 2019

…who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. 1 Peter 3:22

Peter has been speaking of suffering as Christ did, and yet maintaining a “good conscience” towards God in the process (see verses 3:16 & 3:21). It is seen that Noah preached faithfully to those of the world who are now in prison (meaning now consigned to their fate in the prison of death). His words fell on deaf ears because when the time for the flood came, the Lord only saved him, his wife, his three sons, and their three wives.

All of the rest of the world was destroyed in the flood. Noah’s time of suffering for the gospel (the anticipation of Messiah and the life that should be lived in accord with that promise) was rewarded with life. That is what our “good conscience” towards God is being equated to. Peter finished the previous verse with the thought that this is certain, and it is “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Noah was carried through the purging waters. The same waters that brought death to the world could not harm him. Likewise, the suffering we can expect cannot overcome us because Christ has already gone before us and prevailed. The resurrection proves this to us. Peter’s thoughts have been focused on one overarching thought all the way through, even since verse 11 of the previous chapter.

There, he wrote about being spoken against as evildoers. After that, he wrote about submission to those around us – governments, masters, wives, husbands, and one another. He then went into greater detail concerning suffering for righteousness sake. All of this time, the same main thought has been conveyed – we are to accept suffering when it means keeping a “good conscience” towards God. Whatever happens here is subservient to that thought because Christ has already prevailed over this world.

It is through His resurrection that we have this surety. And based on His resurrection there is now a new order of things – even if in this earth it continues to seem otherwise. Our hope is not in this world, and our suffering will have an end. In the meantime, there is a purpose for it. And it does not go unnoticed by the Lord “who has gone into heaven.”

Christ didn’t just resurrect, but He also ascended. He was found approved by God, raised, and then exalted to heaven itself. Peter then says that, there in heaven Christ, “is at the right hand of God.” As always, this is not speaking of a physical location, as if God has a hand. Rather, the right hand signifies the position of authority, power, and rule. In other words, Christ is given all authority, all power, and complete rule of all things.

There in heaven, even “angels and authorities and powers have been made subject to Him.” All of that which is created, even the non-tangible things such as angels (which are spirits), and powers are in subjection to Christ.

Peter’s words concerning this authority are intended to remind his reader that their current state, whether being spoken against as evildoers, being mistreated by a master, being unloved by a husband, suffering harm while doing good, or for any other reason, is not out of the control or notice of Christ Jesus. If our conscience is good towards God, meaning if we are right with Christ, nothing that can happen can harm us. Even if the entire world is flooded with water and all life on it is purged, we will be safely carried through the deluge.

With this in mind, Peter will begin Chapter 4 with a continued explanation of how we can apply the example of Christ’s sufferings to our own lives. But without showing us that Christ has prevailed over all of these things, asking people who are already suffering to be willing to continue suffering would be a big pill to swallow.

Life application: The resurrection of Jesus means that He had prevailed over death. Now He has ascended to heaven and is at the right hand of God.

Peter confirms what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 when He proclaimed, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Peter details this authority as being over angels and authorities and powers. This is a way of saying, “everything.” All authority at every level is subject to the rule of Jesus.

When nations descend into turmoil and chaos seems to be the only result of what’s going on around us; when news services can’t discern what will happen next and they speculate over the fate of gas prices, economies, or people groups; when leaders fall and other more wicked leaders rise to power – all of these things are already known to God and are under the complete control of Jesus.

If you are stressing over current conditions in the world, if your investments seem to be precariously close to disappearing, or if you can’t find an intelligent soul to ease your mind over the turmoil, then remember to simply trust in Jesus and His perfect plan. Either He is in control and Lord over all, or He’s not. If you claim He is, then be at peace. Things are perfect and coming to their completion. He sends you shalom from the right hand of God on high.

Whew! Just when we think the world is coming unglued, we can turn back to Your word and remember that everything is happening just as it should. Israel will be safe, God’s people – the church – will be raptured, and eternity is going to be perfect. What worry should we have? None! Praise be to God…no worries at all. Amen.

Thursday, 28 November 2019

There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21

Peter just referred to “the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.” He says that this is an “antitype.” The Greek word, antitupos, is found only here and in Hebrews 9:24. In this case, it refers to something which is represented by a symbol.

The ark of the covenant, for example, is a type which anticipates the Person of Jesus Christ. He, then, is the Antitype. Peter is saying that what happened to Noah and his family in the ark was given by God as a type of that “which now saves us.”

In other words, the process of salvation was being hinted at in the flood narrative, just as it is in many other shadowy pictures from the Old Testament Scriptures. The account of Noah is the type; “baptism” is the antitype.

This is now the last time that the word baptisma, or “baptism,” is used in Scripture. It comes from baptizó, the act of baptizing. The idea of baptism means “fully wet” or “submerged.” The reason it is not translated as such, but is rather transliterated, is surely because the practice of infant sprinkling became an accepted practice as the church got corrupted. When the Bible was translated into English, all kinds of theological quarreling would have arisen if the word was properly translated. To avoid this, the word (which conveys the idea of full submersion) was simply transliterated.

However, it is not the act of water baptism that Peter is now referring to. Rather, he explains – very clearly so that the point is not missed – that this “baptism” is “not the removal of the filth of the flesh.”

In other words, he is referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not water baptism. Water baptism, which would wash the flesh, is given to simply picture what occurs in the life of the believer. It is an “after the fact” public proclamation of a change that took place in a person. Further, it is an act of obedience to the command of the Lord. But it is not what is being referred to now by Peter.

What occurred in the flood of Noah is that a family was brought through the waters of purification. The filth of the world was purged away in the destruction of the flood, but the man of righteousness and his family were carried through that cleansing flood and brought into a new world.

Here, Peter uses a word, rhupos, which is translated as “filth,” and which is found only here in Scripture. It speaks of a state of being unclean which results from doing that which is morally improper. It is unacceptable conduct based on a moral dirtiness. The world, which had become morally perverse, was washed away and its “filth” was purged.

Peter says that this moral filth of the flesh (as if it could be washed away with mere water) is not what he is speaking of for the believer. Rather, the baptism which saves is “the answer of a good conscience toward God.”

Here is another word used for the last time in Scripture, suneidésis, or “conscience.” It is a word used frequently by Paul that signifies, “properly, joint-knowing, i.e. conscience which joins moral and spiritual consciousness as part of being created in the divine image. Accordingly, all people have this God-given capacity to know right from wrong because each is a free moral agent” (HELPS Word Studies).

This “conscience” is described by Peter with a word unique in Scripture. It is an eperótéma – a demand, a question. The conscience, in essence, demands of God, “Am I right before you?” One can have a seared conscience and not care. Or one can have a conscience which is aware of the Creator and always looking to be pleasing to Him.

In the flood of Noah, there were two actions going in opposite directions. There was Noah, the preacher of righteousness being saved, and there was the world of filth and moral depravity which was purged. Noah did not purge the world of its filth, the flood – sent forth from God – did. Noah’s salvation came through his conscience towards God. His conduct “demanded” or “questioned” of God, and God responded. “Is my conscience concerning You appropriate?” “Yes, I have found it acceptable.”

The act of water baptism, that of being “fully submerged,” pictures a theological truth. Nobody is “partly cleansed of the impurity of the world. Rather, they are fully cleansed. In this, they are set apart from the world which will be purged of its filth. The idea is that there is salvation and there is condemnation. These are the only two states which exist.

Peter then finishes the thought concerning that which saves. It is “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” In other words, these words are tied to “which saves” in the first clause. The baptism is a result of the resurrection of Christ, but only in that there is the conscience which accepts that premise.

As man is a free moral agent, and as his conscience must work out an acceptable faith in the work of Christ – a work which culminated in His resurrection – then it shows that man is not regenerated in order to believe as Calvinism states. Rather, man’s free will must actively reason out his state before God, see that he is lost in a world of filth (meaning moral unrighteousness), and come into the Ark of Safety which is the Person and work of Christ, and thus be saved.

The faith in Christ leads to the “baptism” which is the demand, or question put forth: “Am I right before God?” God’s answer is, “Yes.” It is Christ which allows this to occur.

Here, Peter makes the connection between baptism and the flood of Noah where eight people were saved through the water. Paul makes a similar connection in 1 Corinthians 10 where those who went through the Red Sea were all “baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Like Paul, though, Peter says that it isn’t the water which saves. Rather, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is what sanctifies. The filth of the world is purged away because the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the one who believes.

The point of the entire passage is that Noah remained righteous and he was saved because of his good conscience towards God. The waters of the flood washed away the filth, but Noah survived the ordeal in his being carried through the flood. This was his answer because of his good conscience towards God. And, it is also applicable to us, as evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Life application: Too often people focus on the externals, but they fail to complete the verse or paragraph to see that what is being said is exactly the opposite of what they originally thought. Thus, the entire context is necessary to understand the meaning. Jesus said in Mark 16:16 –

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

The words, “he who believes and is baptized,” leads some to believe that water baptism is somehow required for salvation, but this is not what is meant. Rather, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is what is being referred to. There is an a/b connection being made –

1) a (belief) and b (baptism) = salvation
2) no a (belief) = no salvation
Therefore, b (baptism) is a result of a (belief). One occurs based on the other.

Paul says that the moment a person believes, he receives the deposit of the Holy Spirit. This is the “baptism” being referred to here. It is the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” The words of Mark 16:16 show this. “He who believes and is baptized” is a united event – when you believe, you receive.

Salvation comes from trusting in Jesus Christ and His resurrection (see Romans 10:9), and it is the “answer of a good conscience toward God.” Too often denominations separate these actions or mandate what is simply not implied (such as water baptism) because of a confused understanding of these passages.

Remember that 1) salvation comes from calling on Jesus; 2) the moment you call on Jesus you are sealed or “baptized” with the Holy Spirit; and 3) repeated filling of the Holy Spirit comes with obedience, prayer, living a holy life, and etc.

Thank You Lord for the simplicity of Your gospel. Thank You that we are saved by grace through faith and that, the moment we believe, we are eternally sealed with Your Holy Spirit. What a wonderfully glorious God You are to lavish such favor upon us. Thank You Lord for the blessings found in Christ. Amen.

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

…who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 1 Peter 3:20

The words here need to be kept together with the thought of the previous two verses to be fully understood –

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

As was seen, there is a tremendous variety of translations of verse 19. Each is based on a guess as to what is being relayed and who is being referred to. The only way to properly evaluate the content of those words is to check whatever conclusion is made with the rest of Scripture.

Peter had said in verse 3:19 that the spirits in prison had been preached to. As interpreted by some, their idea is that Christ, after the death of the people being referred to, went and preached to their departed spirits to call them to repentance. This is assumed because they never had a chance to hear the gospel and Christ took care of this after the fact. The claim is that it was after His crucifixion and prior to His resurrection He went to those spirits and gave them the gospel that they had not previously heard.

This would be comparable to someone in a jungle today receiving a special grant from God because no one comes and physically preaches to him. This is entirely incorrect, and it is not at all what is being discussed here. First, the Bible is clear in Hebrews –

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27

Therefore, this is not speaking of people being given a second chance for salvation after death. Further, the very point of leaving man here after salvation is to carry the message of Christ to the world. Whether before the cross, or after the cross, it has been man’s duty to warn his fellow man concerning righteousness.

The burden rests upon the saved soul to continue that process of continuing on with proclaiming the gospel. And that is done by conveying the word of the Lord which came through the prophets and apostles. As Paul says in Romans 10 –

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!’
¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:14-17

This is the way that man is brought the gospel message. One man preaches of righteousness and repentance, and those who hear either accept the preaching and turn, or they are condemned. It is irresponsible for people to claim that there is a second means of receiving the gospel apart from that which is ordained in Scripture. It punts man’s responsibility off to some other supposed means that people can be saved – visions of Jesus, second chances after death, and etc. But the Bible is clear. There is one gospel, and it is man’s duty and responsibility to get that word out to the world.

All men are already in Adam and are already heading to hell. Jesus confirms this in John 3:18 when He says we are “condemned already.” We have this life to get it right with God. When our eyes close for the last time, our eternal destiny is sealed.

As man is appointed to die and then face judgment, it cannot be speaking of Jesus going to those who have died and giving them the gospel in order for them to repent and be saved. Such an idea is not found in Scripture. Understanding this, Peter now continues with, “who formerly were disobedient.”

The Greek here reads, “having disobeyed in time past.” It is referring to a point in time when the people were alive and in a state of disobedience. This is then further explained by the words, “when once the Divine longsuffering waited.”

It is an idea which is found all through Scripture. Man disobeys God, but God is patient with them, even in their state of disobedience. It is seen, for example, in the Lord’s words to Abraham –

“But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:16

The Lord gave the Amorites 400 years to live, repent, and even allow their wickedness to continue before He finally destroyed them. He did this with Israel again and again as well. But He also did it with those before the Flood of Noah. In Genesis 6, it says “that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” What this means is that the whole earth had become wicked, implying that the Lord was longsuffering. Otherwise, He would have snuffed out all life much earlier.

This is then confirmed with Peter’s next words. He says, “in the days of Noah.” By the time Noah reached the 600^th year of his life (Genesis 7:6), the Lord had finally had enough, and He brought the floodwaters upon the earth. Prior to that, He had allowed man to continue in his wickedness.

However, before the destruction of the world, Peter explains what Noah was doing. In 2 Peter 2:4, 5, he says, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.”

Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He told the people that God is holy and that they needed to return to the Lord in righteousness and holiness because they were accountable to Him. And he obviously continued to do so right up until the last moment, because Peter next says, “while the ark was being prepared.”

There would be no need to include this statement unless verse 19 was speaking of it being Noah, not Jesus, who did the preaching, and that it was before, not after, the deaths of the people being referred to.

In other words, what Peter was saying in verse 19 is that the saving message of Christ which was originally promised to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15 – the Protoevangelium, or “First Gospel”), and which was later understood by righteous men such as Enoch and Noah, was preached by those men even back then. The “spirit of Christ” enabled these men to plead with the people; to preach to the people.

It is because the people being referred to were dead, at the time of Peter writing his epistle, that he speaks of them now as “spirits in prison.” They weren’t in prison when they were preached to. Rather, they are in prison as Peter writes about them. This is obviously why the NASB added the word “now” into their translation (see commentary on verse 19). They rightly understood that this was not speaking of Christ preaching to spirits who had died, giving them a second chance. Rather, they had been preached to by the “spirit of Christ” (meaning either the hope of Christ in those godly men, or – possibly – the Holy Spirit) which resided in the men of God while they were still alive.

However, the message from Noah fell on deaf ears. He next says of this world of wickedness, “in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.” Of all of the people on the planet at Noah’s time, only eight were saved – Noah and his wife, and his three sons and their wives. The rest of the world failed to heed, they were exterminated, and their souls went to prison where they remain to this day, awaiting the final judgment which all men will someday face.

This is the correct and proper interpretation of these verses which have been well-abused by sensationalists and those who determine to deny that a literal judgment and a literal hell await those who refuse to come to Christ.

Life application: God doesn’t leave the people of the earth without a testimony of who He is. Even if they don’t hear the gospel which can lead to salvation, they still have creation itself to testify to who He is –

“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14:17

It took 100 years for Noah to complete the ark, during which time he preached repentance to the people. The question of the day is, “Do you really believe in the account of Noah and the flood?” Too many churches and theologians dismiss it as myth, as does the evolutionary community. But the Bible doesn’t leave us with that option. If you are not sure, ask yourself this question, “Is Jesus a liar?” If you are a Christian, you can only answer “No!” Claiming that Jesus is truthful then necessitates a belief in Noah and the flood. Noah is mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy, and he is spoken of by the apostles and by Jesus as well –

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” Luke 17:26, 27

Noah was real, the flood was real, and the judgment of the flood really happened. Eight people among the population of the world were spared. Such is the judgment of sin. Thank God for His gospel and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord God Almighty – in Your powerful hands are the saved of the ages. Also, in Your powerful hands are the souls of the condemned. You are righteous in Your judgment and merciful towards the objects of Your favor. Thank You for Jesus, thank You for the cross, thank You, O God, for Your Gospel of Peace. Amen.

Tuesday, 26 November 2019

…by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 1 Peter 3:19

Translations of this verse are based on what the translators believe is being conveyed. Here are some variations of it –

After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits– (NIV)
So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— (NLT)
in which also having gone, He preached to the spirits in prison (BLB)
Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison. (CEV)
and in his spiritual existence he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits. (GNT)
And he preached to those souls who were held in Sheol, (Aramaic Bible)
in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, (NASB)
by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, (NKJV)
in which He also went and proclaimed His Message to the spirits that were in prison, (Weymouth)
in which also to the spirits in prison having gone he did preach, (YLT)

This is a large enough sample to show that it is a verse which is translated almost completely based on some type of presupposition. For example, the CEV specifically says “Christ.” They assume it was Christ who did the preaching. The GNT says, “in his spiritual existence.” That is not at all in the Greek, but they have made that presupposition, again assuming it is Christ while not in His physical body. The Aramaic Bible equates “prison” with Sheol, the place of the dead. The NASB inserts the word “now” (now in prison) assuming that it is speaking of spirits who are now in prison, thus implying that the preaching occurred before they went to prison. The NKJV says “by whom” instead of “by which” or “in which” thus implying that it is the Spirit who influenced the preaching. The Weymouth says, “that were in prison,” thus implying that they were in prison, were preached to, and are now free from prison. The YLT puts everything in the past tense.

How can this be sorted out? The answer is by the most literal possible translation of the Greek, without presuppositions, and by using the rest of Scripture to determine if a translation matches what is said elsewhere or not. The main consideration immediately, however, is the context. Peter has been speaking about having a “good conscience” (see verse 16) towards God, and about the difficulties and suffering one can expect, because of being right with God.

He will give his example now, and then he will explain that it is based on having “the answer of a good conscience toward God,” again in verse 21. The entire passage has not deviated from the main thought of going through suffering, but doing so with a good conscience towards God. Because this is so, he is giving examples of those who put themselves on the line, like Christ did, in order to have a “good conscience” towards God. Therefore, and getting ahead of things a bit, this is not speaking of Jesus, nor is it speaking of Him preaching to people who had died.

For now, the Greek reads, “in (by) which (whom) also to the in prison spirits went (having gone) preached.”

Peter had just written, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” The first thing to determine is, “Who or what is the subject of the verse now being considered?” Is it speaking of Christ of verse 3:18, or of the Spirit or spirit? Note that the word “He/he” is not in the Greek, but it is inserted by those who presuppose it is speaking of Christ Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. The logical answer as to who is being referred to is the nearest antecedent, the spirit. As noted in the previous verse,

This leaves two choices – either it is “the Spirit,” meaning the Holy Spirit, or it is “the spirit” as explained by Cook in the previous verse where he said, “Thus we must be careful and not understand spirit here of the Spirit of God, as distinguished from the flesh of Christ, but of the spiritual nature of Christ; ‘the higher spiritual nature which belonged to the integrity of his humanity.’”

Which it is can be debated, but it is not Christ who did the preaching. Rather, it was either the Spirit, or the spirit. There was a preaching conducted by a spiritual force. As the Spirit does not preach, but rather inspires men with the word of God, we are being shown that there was a preaching by man in a spiritual state, or under a spiritual influence. To whom and when this occurred still needs to be inferred.

Was it to someone in the past who is now in prison, as implied by the NASB, or was it to someone in prison in the past who was given the gospel, as implied by Weymouth and others?

Next, what is “prison” referring to? It appears clear, and commentaries pretty much unanimously support, that “prison” is speaking of the state of those who have died already. In other words, the word “Sheol” as translated by the Aramaic is correct. It is the pit, Hades, Sheol, etc. The people were either dead and were preached to while dead, or they are now dead but they were previously preached to.

The mystery of this difficult set of verses will continue to be searched out until a suitable answer, which is in accord with other precepts found in Scripture, is given.

Life application: This verse, along with the next one, has been completely misunderstood by many, and it has led to much confused thinking. In various sects, such as the Mormons, it is used to justify their stand that there is no hell and no torment.

But that is contrary to the message of the Bible. There is one life to be lived by man, and then that man must face his Creator in judgment. Be wise and discerning. Understand that without Jesus, all are condemned.

Lord God, thank You for faithful men of righteousness who preach the true and precious gospel to the people of the world. Thank You that we have a chance to respond to this message and be born again – born from above – by Your gracious Spirit. May those who hear this marvelous message make the right choice while there is still breath in their lungs. Amen.